SURVEY SAYS: BARKERVILLE A CONSIDERABLE BENEFIT TO THE ECONOMY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
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A recently published incremental tourism economic impact study has found that Barkerville Historic Town generated $16.9 million worth of activity for British Columbia’s economy in 2009, with $11.8 million directly affecting the province’s North Cariboo region.
The study was part of an Overall Visitor Study & Tourism Economic Impact analysis conducted in 2009 by Tourism British Columbia’s Research, Planning & Evaluation team and the Barkerville Heritage Trust. The tourism economic impact analysis was prepared by Paradigm Consulting Group, on contract with the Research, Planning, and Evaluation unit of TBC.
Paradigm’s analysis took into consideration Barkerville’s annual operational and capital expenditures, as well as expenditures by independent travelers visiting Barkerville during the summer of 2009. It included monies spent by independent travelers in the local communities of Quesnel, Wells-Barkerville, Hixon, Nazko, and surrounding areas, as well as the operational expenditures of the 18 independent businesses that operate within Barkerville Historic Town.
Information regarding independent, leisure visitor expenditures in Barkerville Historic Town, North Cariboo and the province was collected between June and September 2009 through the use of an intercept survey. The results were scaled to represent the importance of Barkerville in motivating a visitor’s trip as well as weighted to reflect Barkerville’s unique, independent leisure visitor numbers by month for the operating season in an effort to capture the incremental tourism impact that Barkerville Historic Town provides to the region.
“We’ve always known Barkerville provides significant economic stimulus for the central interior, and to British Columbia as a whole,” said Judy Campbell, Barkerville’s Chief Executive Officer. “This study shows us how significant that contribution really is.”
According to study’s findings, spending in the North Cariboo region associated with Barkerville Historic Town contributed $8.9 million to the gross domestic product of British Columbia in 2009. In addition, 156 equivalent full-year jobs were created for BC residents, with wages and salaries totaling $6.6 million. Barkerville-related expenditures in 2009 also generated $1.8 million in federal, provincial, and municipal tax revenue throughout the province.
“In BC we are privileged to have such a wonderful historical and cultural treasure as Barkerville,” said BC Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts Kevin Krueger. “This report shows how important this historic cultural tourism attraction is to the North Cariboo region and highlights Barkerville’s significant contribution to the vitality, sustainability and diversity of BC’s tourism sector as a whole.”
Partial funding for the incremental tourism economic impact study was provided by the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative (FPTTI). Additional support was provided by the Barkerville Heritage Trust, the Quesnel Visitor’s Centre, and the Heritage Branch of BC’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts.
A copy of Barkerville Historic Town: Tourism Economic Impact Assessment June 2010 can be found here:
http://www.tca.gov.bc.ca/heritage/docs/pdf/Barkerville_Economic_Impact_Report_Final.pdf
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About the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers launched the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Culture/Heritage and Tourism Initiative (FPTTI) to support the integrity and improve the sustainability of the arts, culture and heritage in Canada. The FPTTI aims to improve understanding and increase links between culture/heritage and tourism for mutually beneficial results.
Launched in 2003 as a pilot project, the FPTTI has since been renewed until September 2008. During the initial phase, working groups explored a number of topics including Aboriginal Cultures and Tourism, Building Market-Readiness Capacity, and Economic Benefits Distribution Research. The results are presented in the FPTTI Phase 1 reports.
This partnership of all provincial and territorial ministries responsible for the arts, culture and heritage and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage is co-chaired by Manitoba and New Brunswick. The initiative supports partnering between arts, culture, heritage and other tourism stakeholders to enhance collaboration.
During Phase 2, FPTTI Jurisdictional Champions of culture/heritage and tourism at the federal provincial and territorial levels, with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, are endeavoring to work in the following areas both within their jurisdictions and as a collective:
- Research and Analysis
- Government Collaborations
- Stakeholder Communications